Counting Sugar Makers
Analysis of the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture’s report on the maple industry.
Topic: Syrup Production
Showing 151 – 160 of 213 resources
Cloudiness’ effect on refractometer measurements
Accurately measuring density is critical to the production of pure maple syrup. This article explores how impurities in syrup can affect the accuracy of tools used to measure density.
Reverse Osmosis for Maple Syrup Option 2
Cornell University’s Maple Specialist, Steve Childs reviews a second reverse osmosis system for a small-scale maple syrup producer. Reverse osmosis greatly reduces the time and energy spent in boiling maple syrup by pulling much of the water from the sap before the boiling process begins. Sap can be put through the system repeatedly and becomes more concentrated with each pass through the RO membrane. Boiling the concentrated sap at the end is always necessary however, as that greatly contributes to maple syrup’s rich flavor.
Small-scale Reverse Osmosis
Cornell University’s Maple Specialist, Steve Childs looks at a small-scale reverse osmosis unit and goes through the equipment piece by piece.
Reverse Osmosis for Maple Syrup Option 3
Cornell University’s Maple Specialist, Steve Childs, reviews one more reverse osmosis unit that is still applicable to the small-scale maple producer, despite this unit’s size.
Microbial Contamination in Maple Syrup
Occasionally, maple syrup becomes contaminated with floating masses or surface mold. Conventional practices have been to discard obvious mold growths, re-boil and then consume the syrup. This practice may be risky, especially with the increasing number of food borne illness outbreaks with other food products and the resulting negative publicity surrounding these outbreaks.
Energy Efficiency in the Sugarhouse
Boiling syrup is energy intensive, but there are ways for sugarmakers to calcuate and improve their energy use.
Preventing mould in packed maple syrup
Preventing mould in packed maple syrup can be a challenge. Cold-packing syrup usually guarantees mould will grow in bottled containers and can impart off-flavour in the syrup. Maple researchers at the University of Maine and at Carleton University in Ontario are investigating whether current hot packing recommendations require refinement to preserve quality and prevent mould in syrup.
The Untapped Potential of America’s Sugar Bushes
Low utilization of available resources limits the U.S.’s maple syrup production.
The “Jones Rule of 86” Revisited
The Jones “Rule of 86” was devised in 1946 by C.H. Jones, a scientist and educator at the University of Vermont. The gist of the rule is that ifone divides 86 by the sugar content of sap, you can estimate the amount of sap required to produce a gallon of syrup.